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"Extreme" porn illegal in UK from 26 January

James7   on 25 January 2009 - 01:54 · 65 comments & 20050 views

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On 26 January, a new law will go in force in England, Wales, and Northern Ireland to make it a criminal offence to possess so-called "extreme" porn. But what is "extreme" porn?

According to the UK government, porn must possess all three of the following characteristics to be considered "extreme" and so to incur criminal sanction:

  1. That the image is pornographic;
  2. That the image is grossly offensive, disgusting, or otherwise of an obscene character, and
  3. That the image portrays in an explicit and realistic way, one of the following extreme acts:
  • An act which threatens a person's life;
  • An act which results in or is likely to result in serious injury to a person's anus, breast or genitals;
  • An act involving sexual interference with a human corpse,
  • A person performing an act of intercourse or oral sex with an animal (whether dead or alive), and a reasonable person looking at the image would think that the people and animals portrayed were real."

The law includes many exemptions, including "extreme" images used in classified/rated films and art. Also, if people have a "good reason" for possessing such images--or if they unwittingly have them on their machines and have not looked at them, then they will not be charged if caught. Likewise, people who "accidentally" stumble upon such images on the internet or who receive them unsolicited via email will not be prosecuted.

People who participate in the making and distribution of such "extreme" images, however, can expect no such mercy.

The law was devised in response to the brutal murder of Brighton teacher Jane Longhurst whose convicted killer Graham Coutts had been a frequent visitor to the websites "Club Dead" and "Rape Action".

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(1 reply) #1 Digix on 25 Jan 2009 - 09:45
Well I feel sorry for bdsm people
#1.1 PatrynXX on 25 Jan 2009 - 18:39
Digix said,
Well I feel sorry for bdsm people

Had someone from heartbeatbabes.com run into a problem getting into the UK because of his site. He made it but not the equipment. So he gave up there and went back to Austrailia. Don't think I'd call that site extreme. Heck it's probably good for ones health
(2 replies) #2 SniperX on 25 Jan 2009 - 09:46
Also, if people have a "good reason" for possessing such images--or if they unwittingly have them on their machines and have not looked at them, then they will not be charged if caught. Likewise, people who "accidentally" stumble upon such images on the internet or who receive them unsolicited via email will not be prosecuted.

Those clauses are for when some of the high-court judges, police commissioners, and politicians inevitably get caught with such material on their computers.
#2.1 thenonhacker on 25 Jan 2009 - 12:42
Exactly.
#2.2 +Kirkburn on 25 Jan 2009 - 16:49
Well possibly it's needed so you can actually do the trials in the first place. If you couldn't store them anywhere for any reason, how would you use it as evidence in court?
#3 WhoTheF on 25 Jan 2009 - 09:48
Ouch.
(1 reply) #4 petroid on 25 Jan 2009 - 09:58
So goatse is illegal now?
#4.1 shakey_snake on 26 Jan 2009 - 15:54
it sounds like 2 girls 1 cup isn't effected...
(6 replies) #5 Leo Natan on 25 Jan 2009 - 10:16
What a load of bull****! UK is getting closer to Iran any minute (and, with the rise of the number of Muslims there, it could be quite literally).
#5.1 Digix on 25 Jan 2009 - 10:45
Leo Natan said,
What a load of bull****! UK is getting closer to Iran any minute (and, with the rise of the number of Muslims there, it could be quite literally).


The same rules follow for porn in many western countries the taboo stuff has been outlawed for a while. And no it's not only shar'ia that applies to this. It's to protect people from things no sane human should be exposed to directly or indirectly.
#5.2 solardog on 25 Jan 2009 - 16:37
Digix said,
It's to protect people from things no sane human should be exposed to directly or indirectly.


Yeah if all people were 12 years old. Are you kidding me?
#5.3 +Kirkburn on 25 Jan 2009 - 16:49
So exactly what part do you disagree with?
#5.4 vetmarkjensen on 25 Jan 2009 - 20:54
Leo Natan said,
What a load of bull****! UK is getting closer to Iran any minute (and, with the rise of the number of Muslims there, it could be quite literally).

So you support (or personally browse and enjoy) porn that...
"... is likely to result in serious injury to a person's anus, breast or genitals"
"... with a human corpse,
"... intercourse or oral sex with an animal (whether dead or alive)"

My god! Let's spread porn of people screwing goat corpses while getting their scrotum smashed with a hammer!
#5.5 KavazovAngel on 26 Jan 2009 - 00:23
markjensen said,
My god! Let's spread porn of people screwing goat corpses while getting their scrotum smashed with a hammer!


Well, if they like it, there's nothing wrong with that.
#5.6 GamblerFEXonlin on 26 Jan 2009 - 16:31
"What a load of bull****! UK is getting closer to Iran any minute (and, with the rise of the number of Muslims there, it could be quite literally)."

On a related note, I find it funny how muslims women cover their hair but wear really tight jeans. That nice behind sure is more interesting then their hair
(2 replies) #6 PureLegend on 25 Jan 2009 - 10:30
I'm surprised people are against this. The new law sounds fair to me, even more so than the child porn laws (with regards to the exemption of films/art, see the blocking of the Wikipedia article on one of the Scorpion's albums for a time when the law is a bit OTT)
#6.1 blowdart on 25 Jan 2009 - 10:50
Well I'm against it for a few reasons.

1) It's subjective, way too subjective. "grossly offensive, disgusting, or otherwise of an obscene character" is a judgement call and that is a bad idea.

2) The Spanner case, see http://www.spannertrust.org - I have a friend who is an activist on these things, shows that consensual acts between two consenting adults (or more *grin*) can be illegal. To me that's simply wrong, what people do with/to each other, as long as they both agree, should not be subject to interference by the state.

3) This government has a nasty habit of applying laws relating to computers with a wide brush way outside their normal scope. The RIP Act is a prime example. Originally limited to the police and security services we now have local councils using a law drafted to combat serious crime and terrorism to investigate people whose dogs poop in the street, or who don't recycle.

Then there's the exemptions. Operation Ore already showed that arguing that you are not involved, or things were downloaded without your consent is next to impossible. Operation Ore had people whose credit card details had been stolen branded as paedophiles because those credit card details had then been used to purchase child porn, see http://www.guardian.co.uk/technology/2007/...techcrime.money

It's rare that any government understands technology, let alone a police force and this is wide open to abuse (no pun intended)
#6.2 theyarecomingforyou on 25 Jan 2009 - 13:41
People are against it because the law will be abused. It's happened before and, with vague and subjective nonsense like this, will happen again. Here's an example, where anti-terror laws were used to deal with barking dogs: http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/uknews/269...y-children.html
#7 -Vivicidal- on 25 Jan 2009 - 11:17
It's just infringing more rights...
(2 replies) #8 rakeshishere on 25 Jan 2009 - 11:32
Please Define "Extreme"
#8.1 +Jedimark on 25 Jan 2009 - 11:36
Did you not read the article - it's defined there.
#8.2 rakeshishere on 25 Jan 2009 - 12:47
I did read the article... and I don't know how they would really judge extreme when they find stuff ...for eg: from below link

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shock_site
#9 Sazz181 on 25 Jan 2009 - 11:48
I laughed when I saw "Club Dead" and "Rape Action". I don't want to imagine what's wrong with those viewers.
(1 reply) #10 Osiris on 25 Jan 2009 - 12:46
hrmm designing a law around one persons habits...yep that makes sense.

Lets hope they dont commission a study polling how many people in prison have viewed pornography...or how many ppl in prison have ever played a violent video game..etc.
#10.1 Mayn1ac on 26 Jan 2009 - 03:06
I hope they do commission a poll on how many offenders have watched Eastenders... If that alone can be outlawed this law is worth having ! {for those from the US this statement should be noted as an example of sarcasm}
#11 bfoos on 25 Jan 2009 - 13:17
No more looking at 1man1jar! Haha.
(1 reply) #12 darkpuma on 25 Jan 2009 - 14:10
When i saw this article headline i was wondering how far something like this could go, and that I was going to think this was too extreme... but no. I completely agree with this. Having sex with animals and corpses is just plain wrong.
#12.1 Lord Ba'al on 26 Jan 2009 - 00:13
darkpuma said,
When i saw this article headline i was wondering how far something like this could go, and that I was going to think this was too extreme... but no. I completely agree with this. Having sex with animals and corpses is just plain wrong.

Same here. The first two are too unprecise and should be rewritten, but I fully agree with the third. Imo, people who enjoy things listed under 3. need a nice white jacket with sleeves on the back.
(1 reply) #13 torrentthief on 25 Jan 2009 - 14:15
i disagree with:

"An act which results in or is likely to result in serious injury to a person's anus, breast or genitals;"

surely anal could cause injury or using a dildo up there. as for breasts and genitals that surely means nipple clamps are illegal.

dont agree with this rule at all, the others are fine but this 1 should be up to the people involved.
#13.1 excalpius on 26 Jan 2009 - 12:04
They said "serious" injury. So again, ridiculously objective. Is it illegal to pierce a nipple now?

How about just a law that makes it illegal to photograph things that are illegal to do, like necrophilia above?
#14 Bri- on 25 Jan 2009 - 15:36
For some reason, this thread brought back memories of "8mm". And, coincidentally, I -just- finished watching a BBC documentary entitled "The Dark Side of Porn: Does Snuff Really Exist?".
#15 ChrisJ1968 on 25 Jan 2009 - 15:46
An act which results in or is likely to result in serious injury to a person's anus, breast or genitals;

well there goes the neighborhood!
(1 reply) #16 Sebaz Vista on 25 Jan 2009 - 15:53
I absolutely agree with this. While I have my good share of porn, there are some really disgusting crap out there that needs to be wiped out. People having sex with animals (seen it accidentally), sex with dead bodies (not seen it), people using **** as part of their sex act (seen it accidentally). if you like these, then you are really sick and you need a lot of therapy.
#16.1 iamwhoiam on 25 Jan 2009 - 17:13
I do agree that those are sick, but what happens when your "good share of porn" is also classified as unacceptable by someone else?



#17 zeta_immersion on 25 Jan 2009 - 16:57
hhahaha .. oh man... this is hilarious ... google hourses and see what i mean (do a project on horses and wham ... you get your pill) ... this is stupid... go after the websites not the people ....
#18 ThePitt on 25 Jan 2009 - 17:05
I wonder whats next they will ban... Cameras everywhere, censorship using the kids as an excuse. I wonder whats next. And how the ppl might react
(2 replies) #19 Faisal Islam on 25 Jan 2009 - 17:06
welcome "email porn generation"...
#19.1 treyarch+ on 25 Jan 2009 - 17:45
Faisal Islam said,
welcome "email porn generation"...

haha imagine the worms, trojans, and viruses with those attachments.
#19.2 Faisal Islam on 26 Jan 2009 - 09:50
man govt. can't stop porn, if govt. stop website thn they will send porn via Email or via IM.
(3 replies) #20 yert* on 25 Jan 2009 - 17:48
Just the act of anal sex can be harmful to your anus. This is absurd. And what is wrong with wanting to give or receive pain if all in the party are consenting adults? This means something like paddling boobs is illegal...
#20.1 Jugalator on 25 Jan 2009 - 18:19
And what is wrong with wanting to give or receive pain if all in the party are consenting adults?

Once again, a gov't want to be the adult above adults, taking care of its little "children". It's all so silly, the same thing goes as for FCC's censorship of cussing in American TV. And not just in stuff aimed for children. What the hell?

Last edited by Jugalator on 25 Jan 2009 - 21:15
#20.2 excalpius on 26 Jan 2009 - 12:05
It's all about donations for PACS and getting votes.
#20.3 yert* on 26 Jan 2009 - 21:57
I wish there was an easy way to do something about it.
(1 reply) #21 Jugalator on 25 Jan 2009 - 18:13
#2 in that list is purely objective, why is it even included?

Having said that, how many think #3 in that list will be removed in 10 years time?

This is a typical "slippery slope" law being passed.

"Protect the people from seeing people doing things", the mantra that govt's around the world have shouted since 2000, it seems.
#21.1 metaone on 26 Jan 2009 - 19:26
I've seen at least two commenters use "objective" when they should use "subjective".

Objective = without mental perspective and judgement.
Subjective = WITH mental perspective and judgement.
#22 Bladerunner on 25 Jan 2009 - 18:14
Well, it sucks to live in the UK. You know this is gonna be taken way outta context, right? You'd be surprised the kinda porn they're gonna start locking people up for.
#23 Symod on 25 Jan 2009 - 18:46
Hahahaha this made me laugh.
#24 leesmithg on 25 Jan 2009 - 19:09
So yet again the Scottish socialist party that run Britain are allowed to view such materials?

I have not seen any of the mentioned, nor wish to.

So the laws cannot cover the United Kingdom then.

General election coming up this year so you know who not to vote for!
#25 Nauge on 25 Jan 2009 - 21:40
awww....
#26 duntkno on 25 Jan 2009 - 22:03
the human mind is open to such disgusting thoughts(sexual and otherwise), if we had the type of freedom, where you can show these type of thoughts, It could only spoil a society. A society will grow and enlighten without all that crap. I'm totally for this law...
(1 reply) #27 windows95isg8 on 26 Jan 2009 - 00:00
I dont have a problem with that at all, the only porn I like to see is girl on girl.
#27.1 leesmithg on 26 Jan 2009 - 07:27
Yeah exactly.

Thats the only pron I have stored, I don't want to see some d00d with his schlong hanging out (you know the guy is gay anyway) giving a lovely looking woman a seeing to...That should be me!!!!
(1 reply) #28 TheNay on 26 Jan 2009 - 03:17
LOL

"An act which results in or is likely to result in serious injury to a person's anus, breast or genitals;"

So that means anal sex, rough sex woman and man? I think this one needs to be defined better, some will think that or BDSM is Extreme. I agree with points 1 and 3 though, but 2 just sounds like they can pull anything... so much for lava lamps up woman's V's! hahah
#28.1 leesmithg on 26 Jan 2009 - 07:28
Amazing as a lot of mp's goto BDSM dungeons for a good kicking.

But... I bet the rules do not apply to them.
(1 reply) #29 P1R4T3 on 26 Jan 2009 - 08:53
I dont see any problem with this law.
#29.1 Faisal Islam on 26 Jan 2009 - 09:55
lolz..ryt.
#30 excalpius on 26 Jan 2009 - 12:07
"The law was devised in response to the brutal murder of Brighton teacher Jane Longhurst whose convicted killer Graham Coutts had been a frequent visitor to the websites "Club Dead" and "Rape Action". "

Hmm, well there's your problem right there. It's not the act of going to the sites that the problem. That's been shown over and over again.
#31 EJocys on 26 Jan 2009 - 14:49
1. That the image is pornographic;
2. That the image is grossly offensive, disgusting, or otherwise of an obscene character, and
3. That the image portrays in an explicit and realistic way, one of the following extreme acts:
* An act which threatens a person's life;
* An act which results in or is likely to result in serious injury to a person's anus, breast or genitals;
* An act involving sexual interference with a human corpse,
* A person performing an act of intercourse or oral sex with an animal (whether dead or alive), and a reasonable person looking at the image would think that the people and animals portrayed were real."


Ah for a second I've started to worry that films about mass killings, blood and guts flying around could be banned. So what about if "Alien" screws one of the Earth's life forms in the film? Or it depends on who screws who?

Last edited by EJocys on 26 Jan 2009 - 15:45
#32 carmatic on 26 Jan 2009 - 15:35
as long as they dont take away my black amputee toilet hardware handjob porn away from me!
#33 Lare2 on 26 Jan 2009 - 19:12
An act which results in or is likely to result in serious injury to a person's anus


So, technically, a picture of a horse with the dongle ready is illegal. LOL
#34 Spirit Dave on 27 Jan 2009 - 03:10
I think this law has some good and bad points ... personally I don't wanna see dead people or people ****ing animals ... but at the same time ... I like a bit of rough double penetration and I like to hear the girl screaming a little

So am I gonna get done over by the law? lol
(1 reply) #35 Anaron on 27 Jan 2009 - 06:32
If you ask me, "extreme" porn should be illegal in Canada and the US.
#35.1 +Berserk87 on 27 Jan 2009 - 07:58
Anaron said,
If you ask me, "extreme" porn should be illegal in Canada and the US.



not my goat porn! nooooooooooooooooo
#36 boho on 27 Jan 2009 - 11:11
So do the videos of people having their throat cut, close up and graphic, or their head blown off, or being smashed to smithereens O.K. but someone messing about with a dead animal is offensive? Arrest all trainee butchers and embalmers I say!

Why are they not just moving the filth to an "adult" domain, and controlling them from there. People file (and photo) sharing has been around since the first camera. Nothing is going to stop that, though using it as an excuse to search a computer, is very convenient.

My mum would be offended a photo "showing pink", so we might as well arrest most males, as perverts.
#37 DARKFiB3R on 28 Jan 2009 - 12:44
ffs I can't be arsed going through decades worth of crap, just to find the "few" offending items.

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